It can be difficult to establish a report with your interview subject without having an extensive background or at least a casual relationship with them before the interview. I knew that given the constraints of our timeline for filming all 5 subjects in one afternoon and the number of technical areas I'd needed to pay attention to, that Chris Hudson, editor of Architecture MN, was the best person to put these rising star architects at ease while asking them each the same set of questions.

The Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis, MN provided a unique backdrop to all our interviews and filming.

Behind the Scenes

Goal

After the successful reception of the 2013 YAA film last year, everyone was on board for our 2nd round of interviews from the moment they were announced. Our goal though was to essentially repeat the success without becoming redundant. Which will always be a challenge as each successive year builds on the last.

Preparing for Success

Once we knew we'd be filming from two locations within a limited window of time, I knew I'd require the help of a production assistant who would be familiar with lightweight-film production and be easy to work with. Peter VonDeLinde was just the man for the job. I knew I could rely on him to make this experience as smooth as possible.

Editing Choices

To cut between our five subjects we filmed from three angles to have the most latitude to edit between their answers and mannerisms to convey as much personality as possible. Additionally we also had an added "virtual" camera because we chose to film one angle in 4K, allowing us to cut to a close-up shot while also filming a wider angle.

We attempted to film in two locations at the Bachelor Farmer, with the hope that we could experiment a little with a new format, but not resting all the weight of the final product on the discussion table format. It created some great footage to blend with our interviews, but the amount of time we had to film in this one location, was too brief to bear fruit this time around.